PEOPLE IN THE L AW Her main areas of specialty include commercial contracts, property, finance and estate planning. Chris Thomsen joined Webb Farry in midJune after eight years with another Dunedin firm. Chris is a specialist resource management lawyer and leads that section of the litigation team. He is also an experienced civil litigator. Christian Peters and Emily Lay recently commenced legal practice,
joining Webb Farry as graduates in the commercial/property and litigation teams respectively.
PEOPLE Justice Susan Glazebrook has been appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court. Justice Glazebrook has been a Court of Appeal Judge since May 2002. Before being appointed to the High Court bench in June 2000, she was a partner of Simpson Grierson, specialising in taxation and finance law, as well as a member of a number of commercial boards and government advisory committees. Justice Glazebrook’s appointment to the Supreme Court began on 6 August. Justice Christine French has been appointed a Court of Appeal Judge. In 2008, Justice French was appointed to the High Court bench, based in Christchurch. She graduated from Otago University in 1981 and went on to attend Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, graduating BCL in 1983. In 1984,
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Justice French started practice with the Invercargill firm French Burt Partners, specialising in general civil litigation and employment law. Justice French became a partner in French Burt Partners in 1988. Her appointment to the Court of Appeal began on 6 August. Auckland lawyer Sarah Katz has been appointed a High Court Judge. Justice Katz was sworn in on 15 August and will sit in Auckland. After graduating from Otago University in 1987, Justice Katz went on to complete an LLM at the University of London in 1992. She began practice with Chapman Tripp in Wellington in 1987. After working overseas, Justice Katz returned to New Zealand and practised at Buddle Findlay, becoming a partner in 1997. Most recently Justice Katz was senior litigation partner of Russell McVeagh in Auckland, specialising in commercial litigation with a particular focus on contractual disputes, companies and securities law and banking and tax litigation. Graeme Reeves has been reappointed Chief Gambling Commissioner for a three-year term. Mr Reeves is a Wellington lawyer. The Gambling Commission is an independent statutory decision-making body. It hears casino licensing applications, and appeals on licensing and enforcement decisions made by the Secretary of Internal Affairs in relation to gaming machines and other non-casino gambling activities. Dr Zoe Pearson has been appointed a member of the Immigration and Protection Tribunal. Dr Pearson is a lecturer at Keele University School of Law in the United Kingdom and has 15 years experience in human rights and international law. She holds a PhD in international law and previously worked as a legal advisor for the Ministry of Justice. Ms Larissa Wakim has also been appointed a member of the Immigration and Protection Tribunal. Ms Wakim is an investigator at the International Criminal Court at The Hague. She worked in Cambodia, Egypt, USA, UK and Chad in aspects of human rights law before starting with the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court.
Robert Kee has been appointed the Director of Human Rights Proceedings. Mr Kee graduated with an LLB (Hons) from the University of Auckland in 1986. He is a barrister sole with extensive experience in criminal litigation involving human rights issues before the District Court, High Court and Court of Appeal. Mr Kee was recently the convenor of the ADLS Inc Criminal Law Committee and has been a member of other similar committees. Oamaru lawyer Bill Dean has been awarded the Spirit of Aegis for his contribution to North Otago rugby. The award is presented by Law Alliance NZ, an alliance of independent legal practices, recognising outstanding community service by a lawyer. LT
CLANZ award donated to Community Law The 2012 CLANZ LexisNexis Private Sector In-House Counsel of the Year has donated her prize to Community Law. Victoria Spackman’s prize was a $2,000 spend at LexisNexis. The CEO of Community Law Centres o Aotearoa, Liz Tennet, says the $2,000 will be spent on staff training and the purchase of legal reference manuals not normally affordable for staff working in community law centres around New Zealand. “We are very grateful for the donation,” Ms Tennet says Ms Spackman has been legal and business affairs manager at the Gibson Group – a role she gave up in April to become the Chief Executive of the company. She says she was delighted and surprised to receive the award. “Part of the prize was a contribution from LexisNexis of books or other products from them. Because of the sort of business we do, the Gibson Group’s need for LexisNexis products is limited so I decided to make sure that the prize went where it could have its greatest impact. “I admire the work of the Community Law Centres around the country so I thought they would be suitable recipients. I’m very pleased that they’ve taken this offer up and will be using the materials to help people all over the country,” Ms Spackman says. LT